Heavy metal fluoride glasses with low intrinsic Rayleigh scattering

The results of Rayleigh light scattering measurements in bulk multicomponent fluorozirconate glasses are described. We observe for the first time that such materials may be reproducibly prepared with uniformly low scattering levels throughout their volume. In 13 of the 15 specimens studied, the magnitude of the Rayleigh scattering loss was one-third to one-half that typically observed in fused silica glass.